Measure S increased the amount of taxes charged per barrel of oil drilled in the City of Santa Fe Springs from $0.20 per barrel to a minimum of $0.41 and a maximum of $0.52 per barrel. The money was required to be spent locally in the city of Santa Fe Springs, funding the city's efforts to:[1][2]

Maintain rapid 9-1-1 response times

Maintain the number of police officers proactively patrolling neighborhoods, parks/schools

Keep adequate firefighter/paramedic staffing levels

Maintain the City’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to natural disasters such as earthquakes

Election results

Text of measure

The question on the ballot:

Shall Ordinance No. 1044, which would increase the oil barrel tax charged to operators of oil wells in the City from $.20 per barrel to an amount ranging from a minimum of $.41 to a maximum of $.52 per barrel, be adopted?[2][3]

Support

Proponents argued that Sacramento has taken much of the funding that used to go to the City of Santa Fe Springs and that Measure S was a sure way to introduce more revenue for city services without raising taxes on city residents or local businesses. They pointed out that only companies extracting crude oil within the city limits would be subject to the tax increase. They also focused on the fact that the current tax rate for oil companies of 20 cents per barrel was one of the lowest rates in California and that it had not been raised for more than 20 years.[1]